Some East Hawaii residents getting their morning cup of coffee on Thursday were in for a surprise.
Police cars packed the parking lot in front of the Puainako Street Starbucks. And there were six uniformed officers waiting inside.
“I was very surprised at first to see the number of cop cars here,” Hilo resident Justin Pequeno said. “I thought something was going down.”
Pequeno was among dozens of unsuspecting customers who arrived during Coffee with a Cop, a two-hour event for community members to meet and talk story with Hilo-based officers in the Hawaii Police Department. A combined 12 community policing and patrol officers participated in the casual coffee-talk session, the first to take place in Hilo. Two similar Coffee with a Cop events happened earlier this year in Waimea and Waikoloa.
“Normally when people see us, it’s when something bad happens,” said Lt. Robert Fujitake. “Something is stolen or somebody gets hurt. It’s normally not a very comfortable situation for people when they encounter us. So this was an opportunity to have our officers make connections with people in the community and just talk to them. There’s no agenda, it’s just getting to know our officers.”
The event was part of a national Coffee with a Cop movement that began five years ago in California. It was the brainchild of a Los Angeles-area police department looking for ways to interact more successfully with the community, according to the program’s website. Since then, there have been Coffee with a Cop sessions in all 50 states as well as Canada, Australia, Europe and Africa.
The idea is to remove barriers between residents and law enforcement and foster more positive relationships.
Nationally, tensions between police officers and civilians — particularly in black communities — have been on the rise in recent years following multiple high-profile shootings.
Those tensions haven’t trickled over to Hilo, Fujitake said, where the community is close-knit and the relationship between the department and the public is generally strong. But officers said they hope community outreach efforts such as Coffee with a Cop help keep things that way.
“We’re very fortunate where we live in Hawaii, everyone here is so open,” Fujitake said. “For us, it’s keeping that trust and building relationships with people. We don’t want it to ever get to a point where we’re faced with a situation of some tragic event over here.”
On Thursday, most who walked into the coffee hour appeared at ease. But just in case, two local chaplains were on hand to greet patrons at the door and explain the officers’ presence. Some chose to ask questions. Others opted to share concerns or address wider societal issues.
Pequeno said he discussed the department’s involvement in schools and ways to address issues such as drugs and bullying.
“I thought it was really cool,” Pequeno said afterward. “They were very approachable. Sometimes you see (officers) driving in their cars — and maybe it’s the sun or something — but they can look a little angry or disgruntled. But they all had smiles on, today, and they were very easy to talk to.”
Officers said they would like to see Coffee with a Cop become a regular occurrence in Hilo. Pahoa resident Kamial Dawson, 36, who chatted with an officer about homelessness among other issues in the community, said she would like the event expanded to Puna.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Dawson said. “I really appreciate it. It gives a face and a story to our officers so we don’t just see them as doing their job. … They’re people, too.”
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
